Watching the news, changing the story

Pay attention to the local news and youll see that barely a week goes by without a story of Milwaukees foreclosure crisis and its impact on inner-city neighborhoods and the citys finances. The story typically goes something like this: the city owns approximately 1200 vacant innercity properties. Theres not yet a consensus about what to do with them, and for many neighborhoods theres not yet a clear path forward. Thats usually where the story ends, leaving us to believe this is an intractable problem. It isnt.

This is exactly the kind of systemic problem that ACTS Housing was built to take head-on. Were Were beginning getting families, banks, contractors, our program partners, and the city working to change the story together. Were pushing to get these central city housing markets working again, of the foreclosure creating new homeownership opportunities crisis. that were recently impossible. Heres what were proving along the way: 1. Home ownership is a viable option for huge numbers of inner-city families: Since January 2012, we have helped 244 families purchase homes in Milwaukees inner-city neighborhoods. 2. There is a home ownership market for the vacant, vandalized, foreclosed properties: 171 families have purchased and fixed-up these homes through our program since January 2012. Bit by bit, block by block, we are making headway. When I took over as Executive Director of ACTS Housing seven years ago, ACTS Housing had only four employees. We have grown into a diverse group of 12 real estate professionals providing comprehensive counseling, brokerage, microlending and rehab management services. Really what our

people are providing is leadership; were enabling the cooperation it takes to get families into homes they own and neighborhoods they can be proud of. Im pleased to tell you that people are noticing. Spend a moment with our recent coverage ACTS has enjoyed on Fox 6, TMJ4, the Journal-Sentinel and other outlets, and see for yourself: were beginning to change the story of the foreclosure crisis.

Our work is nowhere near finished. There are many more families across Milwaukee that we can help become homeowners. There is much more that entrepreneurial homeownership can do to reinvigorate communities and transform neighborhoods in Milwaukees central city. Our vision of 60% owner occupancy in our neighborhoods is still ahead of us. Thank you for standing with us and playing a part in this story. Together well make it happen.

Carl Quindel, Executive Director

Production Report: Since January 2012

SALES

244

REHAB JOBS MANAGED

101

FORECLOSURES RECLAIMED

171

Our sincere thanks to the following organizations and individuals who have provided significant support for ACTS Housing over the last quarter: Action Coach of Elm Grove + Tom Palzewicz US Bank Forest County Potawatomi Foundation Wells Fargo Bank Greater Milwaukee Foundation Vaughn Allen JPMorgan Chase & Co. Bob Gosman The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation David Lauer Metroplitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council John Linnen Nonprofit Management Fund Stephen Rothe